Indian author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi won the International Booker Prize for fiction Tuesday for “Heart Lamp,” a collection of 12 short stories written over a period of more than 30 years and which chronicle the everyday lives and struggles of women in southern India.

Banu Mushtaq, a trailblazing writer, lawyer and activist from Karnataka, has become the first Kannada author to win the prestigious International Booker Prize for her short story collection ‘Heart Lamp’.

This is a proud moment for all Kannadigas. Heartfelt congratulations to Banu Mushtaq, the esteemed writer from our land, who has been honoured with the prestigious International Booker Prize: